©Faces of War -Storyboard
This piece is a collaboration of six individual pieces. Each piece, will be listed below and the Artist Proofs (A/P's) and Limited Edition Prints listed under all the other original pieces of art.
Please enjoy how this final piece "Faces of War III, came together!
In 1997, we had learned that since both Mother (Clarissa) and Daughter (Vanessa), Artist’s had won, “Best to Show Awards” (1 time each), at our local fairs, that automatically sent us to the California State Fair, this resulted in an incredible blessing to allow us to enter directly into the California State Fair without going to our local fairs first. I Clarissa had been working on my own piece for months and Vanessa kept saying, I want to enter too mom! Vanessa (5th grade), had finished her finals in school and she said, I want to paint something for the California State Fair! The only problem was slides were due in the mail by 5 PM the next day! She said, I still want try, so as usual, the watercolor paints and all the supplies were already prepared because of Clarissa’s piece. "Vanessa just sat down and went to town" and painted something literally within 24 hours and it was titled, “Less Than 24”. We both sent our slides in for our individual pieces and Vanessa’s won entrance to the California State Fair, however moms, Clarissa’s did not. In the first, "Faces of War III," where we thought it was completed, we had a large black area that needed something, but what? Last year in 2024, Kierah said, lets paint "Seattle Blue I," in the large empy black area and finally, "Faces of War III," was complete and will have two dates on in 2006 and 2024.
An interesting note here in 1997, it had been several days after we had sent our slides into The California State Fair, for Clarissa's, "Faces of War I," and Vanessa's, "Less Than 24," when people started asking, why did we paint all those faces in both of our pieces? We said, what faces? We had no idea at all of all the faces that we had painted in our two California State Fair entry pieces! There are about 12 faces in Clarissa's, "Faces of War I," and about 5 faces in Vanessa's, " Less Than 24." In our first try to collaborate the Faces, we intentionally put faces in, "Faces of War II," where put 11 faces, that were selected faces from "Faces of War I and "Less Than 24." There are about 33 faces in, "Faces of War III."
Description of Art;
"Faces of War III," 5' x 4' x 1.5" oil, Clarissa, Vanessa & Kierah 2006 & 2024
"Faces of War I," 32" x 26" x 1.5," watercolor & ink, Clarissa 1997 in an Acrylic Frame
"Faces of War II," 24" x 32," watercolor, 1st collab Clarissa & Vanessa 1999 no frame
"Less Than 24," 24" x 32" x 2," watercolor and ink, Vanessa 1997 California State Fair
"Seattle Blue I," 12" x 12" watercolor, art lesson Seattle Children's Hospital 2003
"Seattle Blue II ," 24" x 24" x 1.5", oil Clarissa & Vanessa
Since we had been Art Docents for the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, we sent out letters letting other Children's Hospitals know that if they would like a piece of our art for their fund raisers to contact us. The Seattle Children's Hospital was the first to except one of our "Fast Bananas I," A/P prints. We were also invited to their Seattle Children's Gala of which we were elated to go to Seattle, WA. We asked their committee if they would like us to volunteer to teach art to the children at their Seattle Children's Hospital? "They were so excited for us to teach art. So "Seattle Blue I," was the lesson plan for the day and the nurses put us in the Cancer Unit to teach art. Haley's family took pictures and later mailed them to us. We are truly grateful to be a part of their lives!
The little girl is Haley age 4. Get your tissues for the rest of the story;
Hailey Seattle children’s Hospital
In early 2003, we put word out that if any children’s hospitals wanted our art at their fundraiser to please contact us. We were delighted that the Seattle Children’s Hospital, “Season of Light Foundation,” wanted a piece of our art and of course, we felt it would be a fun trip to deliver it in person.
We asked if during our trip to Seattle may Vanessa and I volunteer to teach Art at the Seattle Children’s Hospital? They said, absolutely and invited us to their very beautiful and elegant “Season of Light,” dinner and auction. When we volunteered in Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, we taught in the long-term unit for children of serious injuries like car wrecks, taught in Wards for Children of the State and taught in the Cancer Units.
Well, at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, we were there only one day and they placed us in the Cancer Unit. It was there that we taught five children abstract watercolor with gold leaf. We showed the children abstract scribble we had made the night before that we titled “Seattle Blue 1,” and they loved it and we’re excited to make their very own piece of Artwork. We gave each child a piece of 300lb (does not warp), 9” x 12” watercolor paper and let them scribble on it with a black permanent marker. Then we showed them how to dip or load and rinse their brushes with the prepared watercolor that we had mixed for them. Since we had volunteered, this entire trip and volunteering at the hospital was all at our cost and well worth it!
One of the children named Hailey, had her mom, grandma and dad, there painting with all of us. Hailey, painted a piece all by herself, and then she painted a piece with mom, grandma and dad, we all helped her title and date her piece and all four of them signed this piece of art to cherish forever! While teaching Haley, her mom and grandma wanted to get a picture with Vanessa and I. It was so incredibly sweet, to receive a copy of the special photo from them in the mail.
One night about nine months later, around 3 AM, I was awakened by what seemed like a bright light in my room and I rolled over to see that it was a little girl in a creamy lacy dress, who appeared be checking on me. Then she turned and went into Vanessa‘s bedroom. I asked Vanessa the next morning, did something wake you last night? She said, yes something woke her up. I had done a lot of genealogy, but I didn’t sense this was a relative visiting us. The following week, I received a call from Haley‘s grandma to tell me that Hailey, had passed away last week. So it must’ve been Haley that came to see us on our way to Heaven. All these years later, this experience makes me tear up every time I share it and even as I’m writing this for our portfolio May 10, 2025, the tears are pouring down my face. This is what Art is supposed to be, shared for love and for healing!
"Faces of War III," is available for $300,000 and the other originals will be listed below, thank you.
